


Wooed

by WaterMonkey



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Football | Soccer, Jongdae is smitten, Meet-Cute, Minseok didn't mean to, Online Dating, Reader has nosey friends, Tinder date, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 13:08:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18895246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaterMonkey/pseuds/WaterMonkey
Summary: You'd given up on dating. Why bother? Especially why bother Tinder? But your friend made you a profile and he's cute. What could go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

“Oh! He’s cute!” Trinity hovered over my shoulder. I swatted at her like she was a mosquito and rolled off her bed with my phone.

“Can I make my own Tinder decisions, please?” I snipped as I propped myself up at the end of her bed. Newly single, I had been adamantly against online dating. But after what felt like a lifetime of nagging on my best friend’s part, she whittled me down and my phone suddenly had four new apps.

“Stop being such a Debbie downer! You’re the one who said you were ready to get back out there.” She swung a pillow wide and smacked me in the back of the head.

“Ow! But this is stupid!” I whined and crumpled to the floor in a pile of pitiful moaning. “I wish I didn’t have to go through the ‘dating’ process again.” I lamented as she peeked over the edge of the bed. “It was nice having a stable boyfriend.”

“A stable boyfriend who treated you like crap.” She muttered.

“Hence the newly single.” I mouthed off, earning a kamikaze pillow to the face. For a short moment, it was okay. I wasn’t lonely, or cold, or bitter. I didn’t need a man when I could cuddle up with this squirrel shaped pillow. I’d sleep under Trin’s bed like a Hobbit and celebrate when she dropped Doritos on the ground…and I ignored the notion that eventually Hobbits turned into Smeagols. But like I said, the moment was short. “But I don’t want to start over!” I wailed as I sat up suddenly, knocking heads with Trinity.

“Ow!” She snickered and retreated as I climbed back up onto the bed.

“Sorry.”

“Look,” she sighed and grabbed my phone, “I know everything that happened was a little intense, but you deserve to be happy. The perfect guy is out there waiting for you, I know it. But you’re going to have to put in the effort. You can’t just skip to the happy ending.” Her thumb swept across the screen a few times, discarding some suitors and matching others. “What about this one?” She held the phone out for me to see and I hiccupped at the frightful picture. There was a mullet involved.

“No!” I cried and grabbed the phone before she could swipe right.

After that, I dutifully picked through the men while Trin watched Family Feud and fed me potato chips. I was nearly about to give up and demand that we break into her emergency stash of wine flavored ice cream when a final face popped up and grinned at me.

“Kim Jongdae. 26 years old. I love to sing and laugh. Swipe right! Don’t be afraid!” I mumbled to myself. The bio was cringe worthy, but he had a bright and honest smile.

“What about—” Trin snatched the phone as I tried to hand it to her. Apparently I couldn’t go fast enough for her ravenous matchmaking.

“He is super cute! And look, he loves to sing! You love music! It’s perfect!” She swiped right before I even had a chance to protest, although with those dimples, how could I refuse? “Oh my god!” She shrieked immediately and shoved the phone in my face. ‘It’s A Match!’ appeared on my screen, meaning he had swiped right on my as well.

“What do I do now?” I cried, flinching when she dropped the phone in my hand.

“Now you message him!” She laughed, but I tossed the phone back to her like a hot potato.

“You message him!”

“No! It’s not my profile!” She served it right back, and we devolved into an extreme game of telephone tennis before my phone chimed an unfamiliar tune.

“What was that?” It dropped between us before Trin grabbed it.

“He messaged you first!”

“What’s it say?” I threw myself into her lap as she opened the notification.

_ ‘So, great news: I too have enough hoodies to call it a collection. But, while Iron Man is cool, Batman is way more badass.’  _ I read the apparent attempt to relate based on my profile three or four times, not meaning to, but memorizing every word.

“Ugh, he’s a DC kid.” Trin scoffed and relinquished the device.

“But, the fact that he knows…” I defended, blushing.

“Means he’s your kind of nerd, yes I know.” She waved it off, going elbow deep in the Doritos again, leaving me to struggle with my reply. Did I open with a joke? Did I discuss the finer points of the philanthropic playboy superhero?  Did I ask about his singing? Did I beg him to keep me company at night when my cat abandoned me?

_ ‘That is great news!’  _ I typed finally and hit the send button before I lost my nerve. It was a pleasantly neutral response, one I could stand behind should Trin, who was shooting my sidelong glances, say anything. But she kept quiet.

The eternity long seconds it took for him to reply were agonizing, and when the chime finally came again, I had it open before it was even finished.

_ ‘So…Hi :) I’m Jongdae.’  _ I grinned to myself at his silly emoji. I quickly replied with my name and asked where he was from  _. ‘I’m from here, born and raised. What about you?’  _ I said I was as well, and we delved into our surface backstories; not wanting to give away too much because it was still new, but wanting to get a good enough feel as to whether or not to continue. As it turned out, we knew some of the same people, which made me feel a fraction of a bit better.

Not that it mattered really, because…I liked him. He was charming and funny, and not at all pushy. This was a dating app after all, my standards were already exceeded when he hadn’t asked for nudes by the 10th message.

_ ‘So, are you doing anything Friday night?’  _ The question set butterflies free in my stomach. Was I free? Technically no, I told my mother I’d help her put up her Christmas tree, but Baby Jesus was going to have to wait!

_ ‘I don’t have anything planned.’ _

_ ‘Would you be up for a completely platonic non-judgmental dinner with a guy you met on Tinder?’ _

I wondered if maybe I should have waited a few more seconds before I replied, to at least make it seem like I considered it before accepting. But we were passed it now and my,  _ ‘I would like that’  _ blazed on the screen. He sent me a time and a place, a casual restaurant on my side of town. I’d been there before and knew it had good food. So if he turned out to be a creep after all, at least I’d get decent leftovers out of it. I beamed back up at Trin in triumph, but she only grinned and told me to start planning my DC themed wedding.

* * *

 

The days between then and Friday were peppered with bursts of excitement and anticipation, sprinkled with just a dash of wild abandon. Meet up with a random man who could be an axe murder? Why not! When Thursday rolled around, I was just finalizing the last touches of my outfit in my head when my phone chimed that irresistible tune. Jongdae and I spoke often, every day in fact, always through the app. He was now synonymous with the Tinder ringtone. There was one time it dinged and it wasn’t him. Some random dude I had matched with tried to start something with a ‘ _ Hey’  _ . Psh, like that was ever going to be good enough again. Much to Trinity’s chagrin, I didn’t even open it. If singing Batman fell through, then yes, I’d move on down the list, but I was far too excited for our date tomorrow to entertain anyone else.

I clicked open the message I’d just received with a delighted hum…only for it to come out more like a sob.

_ ‘Hey, I am really sorry. Something’s come up tomorrow. Can we rain check?’ _

I texted Trinity immediately, telling her we had an emergency meeting, and to bring some wine because I was about to—

_ ‘Can I take you out on Saturday instead?’  _ I gazed down at my phone unhappily. I wanted to say yes, of course, but I had to work Saturday, and I couldn’t very well blow that off as easily as I had Jesus. Friday was kinda my only free night. I typed in a short response but a text from Trinity interrupted me.

_ ‘Ask him what came up!’  _ It said, and then was directly followed with,  _ ‘Ask him if it’s worth jeopardizing his Batman themed wedding.’ _

_ ‘I refuse to have a Batman wedding.’  _ I shot back. It seemed too invasive to ask why he was cancelling. We weren’t so close that he owed me an explanation, but…I was dying to know.

_ ‘I actually can’t Saturday, work. Can I ask what came up?’  _ My knees jumped up and down as I waited for his reply. It felt like he was taking an unusually long time to answer and I wondered if I’d just ruined everything by being nosy. What finally chimed in was unexpected:

_ ‘Do you like soccer?’ _

And this was how I came to find myself, Friday afternoon, sitting in Trinity’s passenger seat, debating every single one of my life choices.

“Sit still, you’re shaking the whole car!” She grabbed my knee as it bounced to still me. We’d come almost an hour early to scope out the target and it was making me a nervous wreck. His request had been odd: meet him at a crowded sports complex. Trinity thought it was cute, but I was more worried that he was going to ask my uncoordinated ass to play soccer with him.

“It’s just running!” She argued.

“Do you not remember what happened the last time I ran the mile?” I paled at the memory of falling flat on my face.

“Okay, so maybe you should cheer from the bleachers?” She chuckled unapologetically. “Oh wait! Oh my god! That’s him! Is that him?” She smacked at me repeatedly before pointing at a sleek black sedan that was sliding into a spot a row over. Sure enough, a familiar face stepped out of the driver’s seat. He wore nice jeans, a slim leather jacket, and a fluffy cowl scarf. He opened the back door to grab a gym bag before locking up and heading inside.

“That’s probably his murder kit.” Trinity joked but I rolled my eyes.

“Just be here by 8:00 to pick me up.” I told her and climbed out.

“Ha! We’ll see.” She replied humorlessly before speeding off, leaving me with no alternative but to go inside. Trin’s car had been nice and warm, and now as I shivered in the sudden cold, I realized that I left my coat in her back seat. Frustrated, I turned tail and marching into the main building where I had seen Jongdae go. It would be fine. It was only  _ December  _ .

Through the sliding glass doors, I could see Jongdae’s back standing in the line at the concession stand. The murder kit was nowhere to be seen, but he had a nervous energy about him. I moved closer and was about to say his name when a man around our age joined him in line. I was near enough to hear their conversation and it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up.

“There you are, what took you so long?” The man asked. Jongdae turned to him shyly and I saw his ears turn pink.

“I couldn’t decide what to wear.”

“Oh that’s right, that girl is coming…the one you met on Tinder.” He said disapprovingly. I scowled openly at his distaste. Maybe he should try finding love in this day and age.

“Come on, it’s not like that. She’s smart and beautiful.” Jongdae listed and I felt my own ears go pink.

“And bold apparently.”

“You didn’t exactly ask if I had any plans before you signed me up for this.” Jongdae snickered.

“Sorry not sorry.” The man shrugged flagrantly.

“She was nice enough to compromise with me.”

“Where is she anyway?” The man asked and I hunkered down, just in case he glanced around and saw me leering at them.

“I told her to meet here at 6:00, so she should be here any minute.” Jongdae pulled out his phone.

“If she’s still coming, that is.” The man teased, poking Dae in the chest, who scoffed and smacked his hand away.

“Don’t jinx me. You know my luck is—” Suddenly, my phone rang loudly, and I haphazardly tried to silence it before…

The two men glanced back and Jongdae caught my eye. “—not as bad as mine apparently.” I muttered.

* * *

 

The air was cold as I sat on my hands in the bleachers. Stupid phone, stupid mouth, stupid gaping. When Jongdae saw me standing there like an idiot, I was caught off guard by just how gorgeous he was. His pictures did absolutely no justice to his soft features, or his bright smile. If I hadn’t been struck dumb by the sight of him, I could have played the whole thing off, like I simply hadn’t seen them. But by the way I was staring, it was pretty obvious I knew who he was. He had politely greeted me, and we stepped out of line.

“I uhh…I’m sorry—” I started but he waved it off.

“No it’s fine. You’re early!” His grin was genuine and it blinded me every time he flashed it in my direction. “Anyway, thank you for meeting me here. I know it’s probably not what you had in mind but…”

“Please tell me we’re not here to play soccer!”  I blurted out before he finished. His eyebrows shot up in surprise before he let out an adorable laugh.

“No! Do you see the shoes I have on? I’d fall on my face!” He beamed. That alone made me feel better about myself, when the man who’d stayed in the line reappeared with an armful of food.

“Here, hold this.” He said as he tossed me ten boxes of Cracker Jacks.

“ _ Hyung  _ , don’t make her carry stuff!” Jongdae whined, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.  _ Brothers  _ , I should have known.

“We need all the help we can get.” The older man said as he juggled a stack of Nacho trays.

“I don’t mind.” I added quickly, and Jongdae seemed to accept it, sighing as the three of us headed for an arena. The complex was large enough to have indoor fields, and I assumed that was where we would go, but instead, Jongdae guided us outside to a field covered in children. He must have seen my confusion because he rearranged the Hotdogs in his hands to gesture for me to follow.

“So, it’s my nephew’s first game. Jongyul wanted to make a good first impression with the other parents, so he volunteered to get the food.” Everything made a bit more sense now as I saw Jongyul— _ the brother _ —happily pass out the food to a green team of hungry kids.

“Which one is your nephew?” I asked as other parents came to help us with our loads. A group of boys dashed by and Jongdae snatched one up. The little boy squealed in delight as his uncle tickled him.

“This little monster!” Jongdae growled playfully, before setting him down and telling him to introduce himself.

“My name is Junseo!” The boy announced. I happily bent down to his level and told him it was very nice to meet him. I did conveniently leave out the part where I was on a trial date with his uncle, though.

“How old are you?” I asked.

“Five!” He shined, and held up his hand to show me proudly.

“Wow! And you’re already on a sports team? You must be really good!” I charmed. The same gaggle of kids from before came back around for another pass and Junseo joined them, waving goodbye to me. I waved back. As I turned, I caught Jongdae’s eye. He seemed to have been looking at me rather deeply, but he quickly cleared his throat and gestured towards our seats.

And now I sat on my hands between a platoon of parents and a beautiful boy in leather. I would have been perfectly content to shiver all day, because there was just too much unbridled joy around for me to be miserable, but Jongdae caught my shaking. He stood and shrugged out of his jacket, then draped it over my shoulders. I was instantly overwhelmed by the smell of him—fresh aftershave with a hint of peppermint. He smelled like Christmas. His jacket was big on me and still wonderfully warm from his broad back.

“But won’t you get cold?” I asked even as I pushed my arms through the sleeves.

He wasn’t getting it back.

“I should have told you to bring a coat, sorry. Don’t worry about me.” He assured me sheepishly, like the winter weather and my forgetfulness were both his fault. “Jongyul!” He called abruptly to his brother who was a row down and a few seats over. The man stood at his name and the two started to signal to each other in some forbidden brotherly language. A moment later, the gym bag was sailing through the air. Dae caught it easily and sat back down to open it.

“Oh, the murder kit.” I recalled and he stopped what he was doing to give me a weird look.

“The  _ what  _ ?”

“It’s the bag where you keep all the stuff you murder your dates with.” I snorted, silently hoping he hadn’t actually been offended. It took him a moment, but then he chuckled.

“Nah, I left that one in the car. It’s heavy.” He winked. “This one—” He unzipped the bag and whipped out a fluffy yellow blanket, “—is what I use to woo the ladies.”

“Oh goodness,” I feigned, fanning myself dramatically, “I am wooed.” He leaned over and tucked the blanket over my lap, and then paused, as if debating. After a second, he’d decided and he sat back down, securing the cover over me alone. I stared hard at my tucked legs, not believing that he’d opt out intentionally. Surely he wasn’t going to—

He shivered. He tried his best to hide it, but I was hyper aware of him. With a theatrical sigh to make it less awkward, I pulled the blanket free and laid it over his legs as well. He sat still as a statue as my fingers accidentally brushed over the top of his thighs.

“I am wooed.” He whispered to himself. I probably wouldn’t have heard it if I wasn’t hanging over him, tucking him into the blanket burrito. Trying not to make a big deal out of the fact that I had, I slid back into my seat and curled myself into his jacket.

In the safety of his inner lining, I checked my phone. Just a text from my mother, wondering when I was going to decorate her tree for her. I typed a quick message to Trinity, telling her to be late. Knowing her, she was going to show up right on time only now that I’d asked her not to.

By the time the game was coming to an end, the sky was darkening, and the temperature was dropping. I don’t think Junseo won, but they were five year olds. It was more herding them from one side of the field to the other than any goals being scored. The heat emitting from Jongdae was exhausting, as I refused to let myself relax for even a second. He was too fun, too inviting for me to let my guard down. The whistle blew on the final play and I let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t a  _ ‘great it’s finally over’  _ feeling. It was more of a  _ ‘if I don’t get out of here I’m going to jump him in front of all these children’  _ vibe. I expected him to move or get up to gather his things, but he was as still as I had been.

“Thank you again for coming.” He said suddenly. “I know it wasn’t really a date or anything…” He trailed off and I saw the tips of his ears go pink again. But that could have been from the cold.

“What more could a girl ask for than Cracker Jacks and kiddie sports?” I shook my popcorn box at him, making him smirk.

“Do you need a ride home?” He asked next, but his words were at odds with his posture. He wasn’t getting ready to go or making any indication he was going to uproot himself. Did that mean I shouldn’t either?

“Is this it?” I asked, puzzled. Maybe he was giving me a chance to run before he went for the murder kit, or—the worse of the options—he didn’t like me and was trying to get rid of me.

He jumped to his feet at my question, breaking the seal of the blanket.

“That came out wrong,” He grimaced, “I wasn’t trying to…what I meant was…” The pink in his ears started to spread across his face the longer I stared at him, more than willing to wait for an answer. He took a breath before explaining, “I just wasn’t sure if you wanted  _ me  _ to take you home. I can, I will, I would love to, but we would have to go like right now because I have to be back for the viewing to pass out the—”

“The viewing?” I interrupted.

“Oh, yeah. The complex shows movies after all the games are over for the kids.”

“Outside?” I cried. “But it’s freezing!” I glanced around at the other groups of people, realizing that they had dressed for the occasion. Mothers were in full length winter coats, fathers were bundled in long scarves, and one little boy was even wearing snow boots.

“It’s kind of a tradition.” Dae said, but the cold was getting to him. Out from under the safety of the blanket, I saw him rub his hands together and glance at the warm seat he’d jumped out of.

“Oh man, now I really wish I would have grabbed my coat.” I muttered and bit my lip. Should I call Trinity and ask her to bring it? She was on her way already, wasn’t she? No, because I’d asked her to run late. I sighed.

“Do you want to stay?” Jongdae asked, like the thought hadn’t even occurred to him before this very moment.

“Do I look like I want to leave?” I returned, a little flabbergasted. So what if I had been trying to control myself all night? That was for the children’s sake.

“Even though I brought you to a kiddie soccer game on our first date?” His smile was growing the more he spoke, and I’m sure I was matching it.

“I thought you said it wasn’t a date.” I teased. He squeezed his eyes tight for a moment before leaping forward, grabbing my head and planting a kiss on my forehead.

Then he was off— “Stay right there! I’ll be right back!” He sang as he took the stairs two at a time up the bleachers back into the building. Dazed, I reached up and touched the spot where his lips had touched me. Resisting was a lost cause, I realized. I was going to date this kid and I was going to enjoy every single second of it.


	2. Chapter 2

_I jolted back into the moment with four strong arms hoisting me to my feet._

_“What…” I mumbled, the blurry faces of my boyfriend and I think his best friend hovering inches away from my own._

_“Minseok! What the hell?” Jongdae yelled and I cringed at his proximity. It had been cute just a second ago but now…he was too loud and too close. My eyes screwed shut, but I let out a gasp at the sudden pain it caused. My lips and chin were wet and I couldn’t breathe through my nose anymore._

_“Are you okay? Shit, I think it’s broken.” Jongdae was yelling again. What the hell was even going on? Past the two concerned blotches of the boys, I saw an expansive green smear and remembered that today was the day I was supposed to meet my boyfriend’s best friend._

“You’re early,” Jongdae had grinned at me when I made my way to the sidelines of the soccer field where we’d first met, “again!”

“It’s really tradition at this point.” I’d teased, trying not to make it too obvious that I was staring at how his shirt clung to his chest.

“We’re still in the middle of the game, but if you give me a moment, I can tell the sub to take my place.” He was wearing his favorite yellow and red striped jersey, and despite running up and down the field a hundred times, he was barely out of breath. In fact, he was as beautiful as ever. He motioned back to the team where I assumed the sub was waiting, but I quickly shook my head.

“Oh no, you’re good. Finish your game.”

“Are you sure?” He asked, but he was nodding in relief, whether he knew it or not.

“Of course! Besides,” I nibbled on my bottom lip, remembering the pep talk I’d given myself in the car, “I like watching you play.” It had been about courage, but also about baby steps. So I stared at his shin guards until I heard him chuckle and felt him ruffle my hair. He ran back to his game without embarrassing me too thoroughly, and I retreated back to the bleachers to watch and marvel that, even when I tried not to, my eyes always found him. His form was slim but muscular, short but built well. He had an easy gait that I both envied and admired. Thankfully Dae didn’t seem to care that I tripped over my own two feet, or that I couldn’t walk down a flight of stairs without holding the railing. He’d just giggle and take my other hand. Even though it make me feel like a child, swinging my legs between my parents, I glowed. Because this gorgeous boy was smiling at me.

For six glorious months he’d smiled at me. Through phone calls, non-sports related dates, giving me rides to work when I my car finally died, or serving him Iron Chef level meals after he finished all his exams. Not once did he seem to falter. It was Hallmark worthy.

The fear shrank with every passing day, but it was still there in the back of my mind: what would do it? What would make him leave? I thought I had prepared myself before I started this, enough so that what happened with my ex would never destroy me so absolutely again. But still, with each passing day, I realized that if Jongdae were to do the same thing, I would detonate all over same. He was just so…addicting. His love was infectious. If I wasn’t careful, he would have me trapped: body, heart, and mind…

But it wasn’t time for that, we weren’t there yet. For the time being at least, I was content to cheer him on from my place on the side.

I watched them both from the bleachers during the game; willowy Jongdae and his blue haired friend with the nice calves. They high-fived after making a goal, and it made the differences between them more obvious. The other boy was stockier and seemed more athletic, but he was just as pretty as my pretty boyfriend. He had curly hair that was perfectly styled, even after hours of sports, and a bright gummy smile that I had to stop myself from being infected by. His face was angular, less open than Dae’s bright features. It gave him an air of mystery, a sense of danger. Of course that didn’t account for much when he was dancing the robot for completing a kick like he was at a middle school dance. Still…

When the game was over, glistening Jongdae came to fetch me. The purpose of today was to meet his best friend, to give the all-important good first impression. I knew first hand from Trinity that if the BFF wasn’t in your corner, you were doomed. With this in mind, I had tried to prepare as best I could, but social media had gotten me nowhere with Kim Minseok. He was older than Dae and I, that I knew, and he traveled a lot for work, which was why I had yet to meet him. Beyond that, I was having to source my info from Jongdae’s stories, and allowed Buzzfeed to round out my education with, ‘21 Things Not To Say To Your S/O’s BFF’. Things like: don’t tell them you love them, and don’t bring up anyone’s ex. I figured I’d be okay as I didn’t have anything awkward to reveal, but I was still nervous.

“What did you think? Was I impressive?” Jongdae asked and I snapped back to attention. Minseok was still on the field, talking with someone else on the team as I handed Dae the towel from his bag with a tight smile.

“Oh yes, I can hardly contain myself.”

He chuckled, either not noticing or choosing to overlook my tenseness. He shook out his hair and wiped his face before thanking me when I handed him his water bottle.

“Minseok should be over in a minute. He said he just had to ask Junmyeon something.”

“Has he…” The question slipped out before I could stop it and I winced. Jongdae raised an eyebrow, apparently now he was going to acknowledge my awkward self. “…said anything?” I finished because, what the hell? Dae sighed before taking the towel in his hands and looping it around the back of my neck. He gently pulled me to him, and like we were the only people in the stadium, he booped my nose with his.

“You don’t have to worry about Minseok. He may seem intimidating, but he’s a kitten.”

I sighed into his comical embrace, breathing in his sweaty yet still Dae scent.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” I muttered smally.

“Than he can get over it, because I like you.”

“Really?”

“Of course! I don’t go around bumping noses with just anyone, you know.”

This managed to make me smile. He didn’t go around kissing noses with just anyone, and even rarely me. I don’t think either of us were innocent in any particular regard, but over our beginning months, we started our explorations slowly. We held hands during scary movies, and hugged when he found out his grant for school had passed. We even kissed on New Year’s when the ball dropped on the TV and I’d had more than one glass of champagne. But I was perfectly content with the slow march of our romance. It made me comfortable and thankful that he never ever pushed for more.

All that being said, booping was a big deal.

He released me when he was sure I’d come out of my funk, smirking at me as if to say he knew me too well. Suddenly, at the same time that Jongdae moved to sit down, we both heard Minseok call his name. Jongdae dropped to the bench, and I only had a millisecond to see the soccer ball flying towards me. It smashed me in the face and sent me flapping. I don’t remember landing on the ground or the panicked squeal that came from Dae. The only thing I knew next was he and Minseok pulling me to my feet again, and my boyfriend’s frantic questions blasting in my ear.

“Minseok!”

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to hit her, I was trying to hit you!” The voice was unfamiliar, but just as loud.

“How does that make it any better?!” Dae snapped.

“Geez, she’s bleeding everywhere.” The conversation seemed to be taking place above my head, metaphorically and actually, but I managed to zero back in to Jongdae calling my name.

“Are you okay? Can you see me?”

I scrunched my eyebrows down, focusing on the parts of him that I could see.

“See you?” He was too close for me to see his whole face, but I could still focus on his high cheekbones, or his flat brow, the parts of him that made up the beauty.

But he took my answer wrong, I knew when he let out a wail and punched Minseok in the shoulder.

“You blinded my girlfriend!”

Oh good grief…

After the initial shock and pain, and the on-site nurse apologizing as she put my nose back into place, Jongdae took me back to his apartment that was just around the corner. At first I resisted, saying I’d be fine. I’d just go home and take a bath, or try to figure out how to explain both my black eyes to Trinity in a way that wouldn’t get my boyfriend killed. But Dae insisted, feeling terribly sorry for his friend’s assault on me. We all knew it was an accident and Minseok had apologized profusely before withdrawing, shying away from Jongdae’s anger. All in all, it was one hell of a first impression.

Now I sat on his couch, my favorite yellow blanket draped over my lap, and a delivery man at the door. I was never one to deny free pizza. Jongdae’s apartment, while bigger than mine, was still small, but styled simply and modernly. There were pictures here and there of family and friends, to make it feel less like the show model, but other than that it was kept in near perfect condition. It wasn’t my first time here, but it was my first time staying. We usually met here and then went to dinner, or I’d drop him off and have to come in for a bottle of water or something.

Dae reappeared in the living room with a pizza box and cups. My smile was more of a wince as he served me a slice of pie and settled into the couch behind me. I nestled into the crook of his arm much more easily than I thought I would, and sighed into the curve of him. The combination of the day started to take its toll as he picked out a light comedy to watch on the TV. The anxiety, the pain, the food, the warmth…it wasn’t long before I fell fast asleep in his arms.

* * *

 

Kim Jongdae chewed on the inside of his lip as he stared at but didn’t watch the movie he’d turned on. She was snuggled into him so securely that she felt like just another extension of his being. When they first met, he was worried she would be just like the rest. Because, come on, who likes Iron Man? But color him surprised when he witnessed her wit, her charm, her grace. She was content with herself, she didn’t need him to thrive. Somehow that just made her more attractive. His past few months with her had been some of the best in his life, and he wanted more.

He couldn’t wait for more.

With her secure under his arm, he pulled out his phone and texted Minseok.

_‘Feel like trying this meet and greet again?’_

_‘You mean she didn’t dump you already?’_ He texted back almost immediately.

 _‘On the contrary—she thinks you make a good first impression.’_ Dae joked.

 _‘*sigh* will you tell her I’m sorry again?’_ The emoji with a sigh bubble popped up next and Dae grinned.

_‘It was an accident, don’t sweat it.’_

_‘What are you guys doing?’_

_‘I’m watching a movie.’_

_‘Did she go home already?’_

_‘No, she fell asleep.’_

_‘Dude…you should kiss her awake.’_ Dae squinted at the message for a solid minute, debating whether his best friend was being serious or not. Minseok was a bit of a lady-killer, so Jongdae usually took his advice with a grain of salt. Especially with her…if Dae had listened to Minseok’s advice they’d be halfway to their third kid by now.

 _‘Or I could let her sleep, seeing as you broke her face.’_ He replied

_‘I apologized! Also—coward.’_

Jongdae pursed his lips at his phone. He glanced down at the crown of her head on his shoulder. Wouldn’t it be polite to let her rest? Or should he test the waters to see if she really was mad or not? It was a slim chance, but—it was a great excuse. If he did what Minseok suggested, if he woke her up with a kiss he felt like he’d be caught by Sleeping Beauty. She’d open her eyes and see him and only him, and have the taste of him on her tongue. What if she hated it and wasn’t awake enough to lie? He wasn’t sure he was ready for a rejection like that. But on the other hand, shouldn’t he find out before this went any further? Before she beckoned him too far into her castle made of thorns. He’d made it out of the forest, dancing with her two left feet. Perhaps it was time to confront her dragon.

Not that she was a dragon…or had dragon breath. Or anything dragon related…

Ohh hell.

He gulped and tossed his phone on the table, then he curled himself around her until he was staring at her lips. She breathed softly, the puff of honeyed air hitting him in the face.

He should, he shouldn’t, he should, he shouldn’t. He couldn’t decide. And then she let out a sleepy moan and he was completely entranced. Ever so softly, he brushed his lips against hers and found that she tasted even sweeter than he imagined. He couldn’t resist another pass at the blessed brush of her lips, but this time…he didn’t go unnoticed. Her eyes slid open slowly, and their gazes met just as their lips.

Like he was snapping out of a trance, Jongdae reeled back, mortified at himself. He was already running away before he even had a chance to see how she reacted, so when her small hand tickled along the back of his neck, he was more confused than anything else. Surely, she was freaking out, right? This kind of intrusion warranted some freaking out. But instead, she tugged at him, willing him to stop withdrawing long enough to see that she was coming for him. He relented and turned back just in time to meet her lips, and his body over took his mind. She tasted like candy and the herbal after-scent of a homebrew broken nose remedy. He couldn’t get enough!

She latched onto his neck and pulled him closer, willing him to bury her in the couch just as long as he never stopped kissing her. Jongdae wrapped an arm around her waist, and looped the other under her knees. In that moment, she was gathered into his arms, and she was his princess. However could he have ever thought her a dragon? The passion was cut suddenly short when he moved too far up, bumping her nose, and she let out a muted shriek. He pulled back again, although not as hotly as he had the first time. She was looking at him and there were tears cupping the bottom of her eyes, but her face was flushed, and her lips were plump.

“I’m sorry.” Jongdae admitted, although he didn’t think he had the conviction to back it up.

He wasn’t sorry. Sorry it was over maybe.

“Don’t be.” She graced him with a small smile, despite the tears in her eyes. “Just…” She started to say, but stopped herself short.

“Just what?” He asked. They were still so close to each other, he felt like she only had to think the words and he would understand.

“Just…promise you won’t leave, okay?” Her felt her hands on the back of his neck tense, like she didn’t want to let go but she wasn’t sure if he would let her stay. “I don’t think I could take it if I woke up alone again.” They’d never discussed her past. It had always been a sore subject, and he respected her too much to pry. But it seemed to Jongdae, that whoever her ex was…was a complete idiot.

“I will never leave you alone.” He promised, but she still didn’t relax.

“Even though I’m clumsy?” She whispered, and a sigh of relief escaped him.

“Even if you fall down my stairs a million times!” He swiftly twisted her around from where she’d been laying against him, to sitting in his lap, facing him. He wanted her undivided attention, although he had a feeling he’d be giving her the same answers for the rest of their lives.

“Even though I’m shy?” She asked sheepishly, sinking into his lap comfortably.

“I hate parties anyway.” He shrugged, resting his hands on her hips.

“Even though Minseok hates me enough to maim me?” Her small joke eased whatever tension was left, and he chuckled.

“We can maim him back if you like.” He said with a peck on her lips. Then added, “You know he doesn’t actually hate you.”

“I know.” She smiled, tightening her hands behind his head. “He just makes one hell of an impression.”

She kissed him slowly, pushing and pulling herself as close to him as she could get. This was the type of fairytale he’d been after, the kind of honest love he wanted. She was nervous, he was nervous. But together?

They were happily ever after.


End file.
